Draft-rigging for railway-cars.



No. 787,864. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905. A. W. SULLIVAN & W. RENSHAW.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION TILED MAR.5,1904. RENEWED FEB. 8. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 787,864. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

A. W. SULLIVAN & W. RENSHAW.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR.5,1904. RENEWED FEB. a. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented April 18, 1905.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT ll". SULLIVAN AND WILLIAM RENSHAIV, OF GI lIUMi-O, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-RIGGING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,864, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed March 5, 1904. Renewed February 8, 1905. Serial No. 244,680.

Be it knownthat we, ALBERT IV. SULLIVAN and \VILLIAu RENSIIAW, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Rigging for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to draft-rigging such as is used in connection with freight and passenger cars of the railways of the United States and Canada, and particularly to the means by which the draft-rigging proper is eli'ectively maintained in its operative position, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear.

The principal object of the invention is to provide simple, economical, and cfticient means for maintaining and supporting the draft-rigging of a railway-car in effective position to withstand the stressand strains incident to use.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists principally in the combination of a pair of main center sills formed of metal I-beams arranged longitudinally of the car, a center plate extending across the space between and secured to the under surface of the lower flanges of such center sills, a pair of metal straps arranged longitudinally of and secured to the supporting-plate, and d rafta'igging movably mounted and supported in such supporting-straps.

The invention consists, further and Iinally, in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the main center sills, end sills, and supporting plate and straps as they appear when constructed and arranged in accordance with these improvements looking from above; Fig. 2, a crosssectional elevation taken on the irregular line 2 of Fig. I; Fig. 3, alongitudinal sectional elevation taken through a portion of one end of a car, showing the draft-rigging and other parts constructed and arranged in accordance with these improvements looking at them from line 3 of Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. a similar view with the draft-rigging or parts thereof removed.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that great dil'liculty exists attaching the drafta'igging to the main frames of railway-cars in a substantial and ellicient manner to resist the great forces of tension and compression due to the forward and backward movements of powerful locomotives in startingand stopping heavy passenger and freight trains. The extent and severity of these stresses may be realized and the weakness inherent to the usual method of attaching the draft-gear to the frames of the car may be comprehended when it is stated that about ninety per cent. of the ordinary running repairs to freight-cars in service is due to the failure of the draft-gear, largely because of the insufficient means of attachment to the underframcs of the cars. It has long been sought to attach the draft-gear to both passenger and freight cars so that the attachment would have a strength proportionate to that of the umlerframing. For many years the attachment of the draft-rigging to the car has been one of the weakest features of car construction, and the recent advent of locomotives of great tractive power has emphasized the necessity for an improved draftgear attachment. The ordinary method of attachment has been to bolt the lugs of the draft-gear to theinner sides of the subsills or draft-arms, which in turn are bolted to and directly underneath the main stringers or center sills of the car. Later, when steel underframes began to be used in car construction, the draft-lugs were riveted to the inner sides or webs of the beams used as center sills. The thinness of the metal in the webs of such beams developed the necessity of extending the bearing of the draft-lugs to include the flanges as well as the web of the beams for the purpose of increasing the strength of the attachment. These methods of attachment, which are the prevailing practice, necessitate the center sills or beams of a car being placed close together, rarely more than twelve inches apart, which in a car eight to nine feet in width, with the underframe constructed of four sills or beams, leaves a large vacant space between the center and the outside sills, requiring the use of additional or intermediate sills to give adequate support to the floor and contents of the car, whereas if the center sills can be released from the contiguity imposed by the prevailing method of draft attachments a uniform spacing of the sills can be made and a better fioor system constructed without increasing the weight or cost of the car by the use of intermediate sills. This result is attained by the method of draft attachment which is the object of this invention. A further result attained by this invention is the efficient binding together of the center or draft sills directly at the point of attachment of the draft-gear, where the greatest stress is brought to bear upon the underframe of the car, enabling the strain to be distributed uniformly to both of the sills when a car or train is being moved around curves, the stability of the draft-gear being thus greatly strengthened.

In the usual and ordinary method of car construction the center or draft sills are secured together by the end sills at the ends of the car-underframe and by the transoms or body-bolsters, which support the car upon its trucks. In the space between the end sills and the body-bolsters, usually several feet, the center sills are unsupported, because of the necessity of leaving space for the draftgear, which prevents binding the center sills together at the point of attachment of the draft-gear. The draft-gear being thus placed between the center sills at a point where no tie exists, the tendency of the stresses is to spring the sills apart, and when a train is being moved around curves the stresses are conveyed unequally to the center sills, which are thus alternately strained beyond their normal duty and weakened by abnormal wear.

The principal object of this invention, therefore, is to overcome the chief defect or weakness of the presentmethods of attaching draftgear to cars by removing the point of attachment from between closely-spaced center sills, thereby releasing said sills and permitting them to be separated, so as to fulfil more efficiently their functions as principal members of the floor system of a car, while at the same time retaining unimpaired their functions as main draft-sills, in which duty they are greatly reinforced and strengthened by a draft-plate riveted to the flanges, the broad surface of which affords wide latitude in the application of draw-bars and permits of many improvements by the use of draw-bar springs in groups and of varied shape not possible under any known form or construction. In illustrating that which we consider to be new, taken in connection with so much that is old as will properly disclose the invention to others and enable those skilled in the art to practice the same, leaving out of consideration other and well-known mechanisms, which if set forth herein would only tend to confusion, prolix ity, and ambiguity.

In constructing a draft-rigging for railwaycars in accordance with these improvements a pair of main sills (0, preferably main center sills, are provided and arranged longitudinally of the car, abutting at each end against end sills 6. These main center sills are preferably formed of I-beamsthat is, beams having upper and lower flanges and an intervening connecting central web portion. Arranged immediately under and with the face of the upper flanges contacting the flanges of the main center sills, except where they are depressed or dropped to receive the supporting-plate e, as hereinafter described, between the subcenter and main center sills, is a pair of subcenter sills 0, which also extend longitudinally of the car beyond the ends of the main center sills and upon which the end platforms (Z of the car are supported.

To provide means by which the draft-rigging may be sustained in an economical and effective position, a supporting-plate e is provided, extending across the space between both of the main and sub center sills and grasped between the adjacent upper and lower surfaces of the flanges of both of such sills, to both of which it is effectively secured by means of a plurality of rivets f, the subcenter sills being depressed, curved downward, or dropped between the points indicated by the reference-letters e and f a sufficient distance at the point where the plate 6 rests thereon so that such plate is held firmly between the main center and subcenter sills, whose flanges are in contact, except at su'ch depressed portion of the subsills. It will be noticed from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 that this supporting-plate gives a very large and effective surface, to which the draft-rigging mechanisms may be secured, and, stated in another way, it provides for great flexibility for securing the draft-rigging in positionthat is, the draft-rigging-supporting members may be secured at any desired position on this plate at either side of a longitudinal central line and not in any way interfere with the other structures of the car.

To sustain the draft-rigging proper in position, a pair of supporting-straps g is provided and arranged longitudinally of the supporting-plate and immediately underneath the same, to which they are secured, as hereinafter set forth. These supporting-straps are bent downwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4t, and have pockets it, in which the followerthese improvements we have only illustrated plates 2' of the ordinary draft-rigging may move and by which the rear end of such draftrigging is supported. The draft-rigging is shown particularly in Fig. 3 with the drawbar part or portion suspended therefrom at its forward end by means of the usual supporting-yoke ll, while its rear end extends backward through a second yoke and passes through the follower-plates above set forth, all of which is well known and needs no further or detailed description here. It is also well known in this art that despite the intervention of the usual cushioning-springs m. of the draft-rigging owing to sudden stopping and starting of the cars tremendous end thrusts or end wise strains are imparted to the supporting-straps and that it is therefore essential and advisable to provide means by which the supporting-bolts will be protected from shearing. In order to provide such means, a pair of shoulder I-bars 12 is provided, as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, and interposed between the supporting plate and straps, with the head portion of such I-bars arranged outside of and the shoulders contacting the ends of both supporting plate and straps, as shown. A plurality of bolts and nuts are provided and passed through the supporting-plate straps and I-bars to secure all of the parts together in an effective manner.

The principal advantages incident to the use of a draft-rigging constructed in accordance with these improvements are, first, that the supporting-plate provides a very simple and economical as well as a very strong and effective means of sustaining and supporting the draft-rigging in position, so as to withstand the excessive strains incident to the use of the car, and, second, that the supportingplate as shown and described affords great flexibility or latitude for securing different draft-riggings in position, all of which will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

\Ve clain M 1. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination o'fmain center sills, a supportingplate extending across the space between such sills and secured to the bottom portion of both of such sills, supporting-straps arranged longitudinally of and secured to the supporting-plate, and draft-rigging movably mounted and supported in such supporting-straps, substantially as described.

2. ln mechanisms of the class described, the combination of main center sills, a supportingplate extending across the space between and secured to such center sills, supporting-straps arranged longitudinally of and secured to the lower side of the supporting-plate, draft-rigging movably supported in such straps, and shoulder-bars interposed between the supporting plate and straps to take the end thrust off such straps, substantially as described.

tially as described.

L. .111 mechanisms of the class described, the combination of main center and subcenter sills, a supporting-plate extending across the space between such sills and secured in position between both the adjacent faces of both main center and subcenter sills and to both of such sills, and a draft-rigging secured to and supported by the supporting-plate substantially as described.

In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of main center sills, a supportingplate extending across the space between such. sills and secured to both of the same, supporting-straps arranged longitudinally of and secured to the supporting-plate, drafta'igging movably mounted in and supported by the supporting-strzws, and shoulder I-bars interposed between the supporting-plate and supporting-straps with the shoulders abutting against the ends of the same and clamped in position therebetween to receive the end thrust of the supporting-straps, substantially as described.

6. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a pair of main center sills formed of metal I-beams, a supporting-plate extending across the space between the same and secured to the under surfaces of the lower flanges of said sills, sup porting-straps secured to the supporting-plate, and draft-rigging movably mounted and supported in such supporting-straps, substantially as described.

7. 1n mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a pair of main center sills formed of metal I-beams, a supporting-plate extending across the space between and secured to the under face of the lower flanges of said sills, a pair of supporting-straps arranged longitudinally of and secured to and beneath the supporting-plate, draft-rigging movably mounted and supported in the supporting-straps, and shoulder-bars interposed between the sup porting-plate and su p portingstrap and secured to both to receive the end thrust of such supporting-straps, substantially as described.

8. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a pair of main center sills formed of metal I-beams, a pair of subcenter sills arranged underneath and secured to the lower flanges of the main center sills, a supporting-plate extending across the space between such main and sub center sills and clamped in position by and between the adjacent flanges of the sills, to both pairs of which it is secured, a pair of supporting-straps arranged longitudinally of and secured to the under surface of such supporting-plate, shouling such supporting plate, straps and I-bars der I-bars interposed between the supporttogether, substantially as described. ing-plate and supporting-straps With their ALBERT W. SULLIVAN. head portions arranged outside of and their NVILLIAM RENSHAW. shoulders contacting the ends of both supportl/Vitnesses:

ing plate and straps to receive the end thrust THOMAS F. SHERIDAN,

of the straps, and bolt mechanism for secur- HARRY I. CRoMER. 

